8:01 AM | In the LG Cup Go Final, Ke Jie withdrew from the competition without accepting the penalty, and the South Korean player won the championship; On the same day in the A-share market, two extremely high-valued divorces occurred; The Apple Watch is exposed to automatically uninstall apps.
TOP3 Big News
Ke Jie withdrew from the LG Cup Go Final without accepting the penalty, and the South Korean player won the championship
On January 23rd, Beijing time, the decisive game of the 29th LG Cup World Go Championship final arrived. Because Ke Jie placed two captured stones outside the go bowl, the South Korean referee suspended the game. Ke Jie raised objections to the time and manner in which the referee suspended the game, and then the game was interrupted.
In the statement released by the organizer, it is mentioned that because Ke Jie did not put the captured stones on the go bowl cover, the normal penalty is 2 points. After negotiations, Ke Jie proposed a rematch, but the opponent was unwilling to accept it. Eventually, Ke Jie chose to withdraw from the game. The South Korean player Byun Sang-il won the championship with a score of 2 to 1. The LG Cup of this session offers a generous prize, with the champion receiving 300 million Korean won (approximately 1.518 million yuan) and the runner-up 100 million Korean won (506,000 yuan). Ke Jie lost a 200 million Korean won prize due to the penalty.
The Chinese Go Association responded to Ke Jie's withdrawal, believing that the referee's interruption was inappropriate, affecting the normal progress of the game. The player was overly disturbed by the referee and could not continue to complete the game. After appealing to the event organizer, the Korean Baduk Association, to request a rematch but to no avail, the Chinese Go Association does not accept the result of the third game of this LG Cup. (CCTV News, Finance World)
Two Sky-High-Valued Divorces Occurred in A-Shares on the Same Day
On January 22, Quectel Wireless Solutions Co., Ltd. announced in a public notice that on January 21, it received a notice from the company's controlling shareholder, Qian Penghu. Qian Penghu and MINHONG MAO have completed the procedures for dissolving their marriage. According to the divorce agreement, Qian Penghu will transfer 12,559,600 shares of Quectel Wireless Solutions Co., Ltd. that he holds to MINHONG MAO. Calculated based on the closing price of 87.80 yuan per share on that day, the value of the stocks that Qian Penghu is about to transfer is approximately 1.103 billion yuan. It is worth noting that on the same day, Henan Jindan Lactic Acid Technology Co., Ltd. announced that the company's controlling shareholder, Mr. Zhang Peng, conducted a divorce property division due to the dissolution of his marriage and transferred 24 million shares of the company (with a market value of 416 million yuan) to Ms. Li Zhongmin. (21st Century Business Herald, China Fund News)
Apple Watch is reported to automatically uninstall apps, and customer service responds: The specific reason is not clear
Recently, some netizens have reported that some apps on their Apple Watch have been automatically uninstalled. According to this netizen, the apps that were automatically uninstalled from his Apple Watch include WeChat, DingTalk, Stress Watch, etc.
In response, Apple customer service responded that the specific reason is not clear. Users can try to update the watch system to the latest version or re-pair the phone and the watch. The customer service also further explained that if such a situation occurs again during the subsequent use, it can be reported again. In addition, the customer service also said that the phone iOS not being updated to the latest version will not have an impact on this. (Fast Technology)
Big Companies / Major Events
Clear Hard Indicators for Medium and Long-Term Funds to Enter the Market: Publicly Offered Funds to Increase Their Holdings of A-Share Circulating Market Value by at Least 10% Annually in the Next Three Years
Wu Qing, Chairman of the China Securities Regulatory Commission, said at a press conference held by the Information Office of the State Council on January 23 that the "Implementation Plan for Promoting the Entry of Medium and Long-Term Funds into the Market" clearly stipulates that the publicly offered funds should increase their holdings of A-share circulating market value by at least 10% annually in the next three years. For commercial insurance funds, it is striving to ensure that large state-owned insurance companies invest 30% of their annual new premium from 2025 in A-shares. (Xinhua News Agency)
Midea Group Requires All Employees to Simplify Work: Prohibits Meetings after Working Hours and Formalistic Overtime
According to Sina Technology, a document titled "Requirements for Simplifying Work Methods" signed by Fang Hongbo, Chairman and President of Midea Group, shows that Midea requires all employees to simplify their work methods. "Any work that is not user-centered, business-centered, or frontline-centered, does not generate value, and does not increase income belongs to performative work. All employees need to decisively simplify it and use the saved time to do valuable things for users." Currently, some internal staff of Midea have confirmed that this document is indeed an internal file. According to the content of the document, "The above requirements are valid for Midea Group within China and are subject to the supervision of all employees." (Sina Technology)
The price of pure gold jewelry exceeds 830 yuan per gram
On January 21, Beijing time, international precious metal futures generally showed an upward trend. COMEX gold futures rose by 0.98% to $2,758.7 per ounce; COMEX silver futures rose by 1.14% to $31.555 per ounce. China News Finance noticed that on the 22nd, the retail price of pure gold jewelry in many domestic gold stores exceeded 830 yuan per gram. (China News Finance)
Elon Musk Cools Down Trump's $500 Billion Investment Declaration in Stargate AI
On the evening of January 21, Elon Musk claimed that tech giants OpenAI, Oracle, and SoftBank do not have sufficient funds to fulfill their high-profile commitment to invest $500 billion in the US artificial intelligence infrastructure. The CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, Elon Musk, made the comments a few hours after the huge project was announced at the White House on the first day of President Trump's term. "They actually don't have the money," Musk wrote in response to OpenAI's post about the new project on his social platform X, which is called the "Stargate" project. (Sina Finance)
Wall Street Analysts Optimistic About "Stargate" Project: May Initiate Era of Large-Scale AI Investment in the US
Analysts say the "Stargate" project announced by Trump may usher in an era of "large-scale" artificial intelligence investment in the US, although the broader implications may not be known for some time. An analyst from Wedbush Securities said in a client report: "We believe this is the beginning of a large-scale artificial intelligence investment wave in the US. We expect more major tech companies to make announcements in the coming weeks." "What the Stargate really focuses on is the construction of data centers in the US. We ultimately believe that with the momentum in Silicon Valley, other major US tech companies may invest an additional $1 trillion in artificial intelligence." (Zhitong Finance)
The three major U.S. stock indexes closed higher collectively, and most large technology stocks rose
36Kr learned that at the close of trading on January 23, the three major U.S. stock indexes rose collectively. The S&P 500 index rose by 0.53%, setting a new closing high. The Nasdaq index rose by 0.22%, and the Dow Jones index rose by 0.92%. Most large technology stocks rose. Netflix rose by more than 3%, Meta rose by more than 2%, and Amazon, Microsoft, and NVIDIA rose slightly; Google, Apple, and Tesla fell slightly. Popular Chinese concept stocks had mixed performances. Tal Education Group rose by more than 21%, Tiger Brokers rose by more than 5%, Futu Holdings rose by more than 3%, iQIYI rose by more than 2%, Li Auto and Pinduoduo rose slightly; Miniso fell by more than 4%, Zeekr and NIO fell by more than 3%, Xpeng Motors fell by 2%, Tencent Music and Alibaba fell slightly.
Bilibili Releases All Spring Festival Galas from 1983 to Present, with Over 3 Million Reservations for the Year of the Snake Spring Festival Gala Live Stream
36Kr has learned that on the evening of January 22, Bilibili officially released the content of all the previous 42 years of the CCTV Spring Festival Gala. As of around 8 a.m. on the 23rd, the cumulative playback volume of the previous Spring Festival Galas has exceeded 1.3 million, and the number of fans of the official CCTV Spring Festival Gala account on Bilibili has exceeded 600,000. Previously, Bilibili announced a cooperation with CCTV and will simultaneously live stream the Year of the Snake Spring Festival Gala on New Year's Eve. This is the first time in the 15 years since Bilibili was founded that it has live streamed the Spring Festival Gala. Young people are the main audience of the Spring Festival Gala, and Bilibili is the main community platform for young people to watch and discuss the Spring Festival Gala. Currently, the number of reservations related to the live stream of the Spring Festival Gala on Bilibili has exceeded 3 million.
Li Jiaqi's Company Adds Cosmetics Production Business
36Kr learned that the Tianyancha App shows that recently, Shanghai Qicai Management Consulting Co., Ltd. has undergone industrial and commercial changes. Its name has been changed to Shanghai Qicai Technology Development Co., Ltd., and its business scope has added cosmetics production, disinfectant production, hygiene products and disposable medical supplies production, food detergent production, etc. At the same time, some key personnel have also changed.
The company was established in May 2021, with the legal representative being Li Wenli, the supervisor being Li Jiaqi, and a registered capital of 10 million Chinese yuan. Li Jiaqi and his mother Li Wenli hold 99% and 1% of the shares respectively.
Great Wall Motor Changes Logo to GWM, Cancels the Chinese Logo "Great Wall Motor"
According to IT Home, recently, Great Wall Motor has changed its corporate LOGO. The new LOGO cancels the Chinese logo "Great Wall Motor" and fully adopts the "GWM" logo, with the main color of red and a flat design. And GWM is the abbreviation of Great Wall Motor (Great Wall Motor).
For comparison, the original LOGO adopts a silver texture design, with a relatively smooth overall line. The shape is like a "beacon tower", which is the visual language of traditional automotive brands. The four characters "Great Wall Motor" below use a more traditional font. It is found that currently, many social media platform accounts of Great Wall Motor, such as Weibo and WeChat Official Account, have all enabled the new LOGO. (IT Home)
OpenAI and SoftBank each commit to investing $19 billion in the Stargate Data Center joint venture project
It is reported that OpenAI and SoftBank each commit to investing $19 billion in the Stargate Data Center joint venture project. (Yicai)
Wu Qing, Chairman of the China Securities Regulatory Commission: It is expected that more than 310 companies will pay dividends before the Spring Festival
On January 23, Wu Qing, Chairman of the China Securities Regulatory Commission, said at a press conference held by the Information Office of the State Council that on the asset side, basic construction will be enhanced, and efforts will be made to improve the quality and investment value of listed companies. In 2024, the market value management rules for listed companies were formulated, as well as policies such as share buybacks, shareholdings increase, and dividends. In 2024, the total dividends of listed companies throughout the year amounted to 2.4 trillion yuan. Many companies paid dividends multiple times, and 90% of eligible companies achieved dividends. It is expected that more than 310 companies will pay dividends before the Spring Festival, which will be 9 times the number of companies in the same period last year. (Securities Times)
Has TikTok's US data center address been moved to Meta's location? Insiders: The news is untrue
Some netizens revealed on social media that through tracing the source by hackers, the current TikTok's US data center address has been moved to Meta's location. In response, insiders said: The news is untrue. (The Paper)
Samsung Electronics is collaborating with Google to develop AR glasses
On January 22 local time, Samsung Electronics held the annual "Galaxy Unpacked" event in San Jose, California, USA, launching the new flagship "Galaxy S25" series of new phones, and showcasing the Project Moohan head-mounted display device developed in collaboration with Google. Roh Tae-moon, president of the Mobile Experience (MX) business at Samsung Electronics, disclosed in an interview with the media that the company is collaborating with Google to seek entry into the augmented reality (AR) glasses market. Roh Tae-moon said that the two companies have started to jointly develop AR glasses since they announced the collaboration on Project Moohan in December last year, and no more details were disclosed. When asked when this pair of glasses will be launched, Roh Tae-moon said that the two companies "will reach the quality and readiness we want as soon as possible". (Jiemian News)
Zuckerberg Keeps an Eye on TikTok Creators: Offers Up to $5,000 "Switch Platform" Bonus
Under the background that Trump gave TikTok a 75-day grace period for the "Sell or Ban" order, competitors also regard this executive order as a window period for "snatching business". According to local US media reports, Facebook and Instagram, under social media giant Meta, have newly launched a "Breakthrough Bonus Program", offering a maximum of $5,000 in rewards to content creators who switch platforms. (Caixin)
Amazon Announces Exit from Quebec Operations and Layoff of Approximately 1,700 Employees, Canadian Government Expresses Discontent
The e-commerce giant Amazon announced on January 22 that it will withdraw from its operations in the Canadian province of Quebec, resulting in the loss of approximately 1,700 full-time jobs. This matter has caused dissatisfaction in Ottawa. Canada's Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, François-Philippe Champagne, said that he has had a conversation with the head of Amazon Canada to express the government's disappointment and frustration. "This is not the way to do business in Canada," he stated on X. (Sina Finance)
Two passenger planes of a Japanese airline have malfunctions, and dozens of flights are cancelled
According to a report by Kyodo News on the 22nd, Japan Air Commuter announced on the same day that due to engine and cabin door malfunctions in two of its passenger planes respectively, the company decided to cancel 48 flights from the 22nd to the 26th, and the number of affected passengers is about 1,000. Japan Air Commuter, headquartered at Kagoshima Airport in Japan, is a subsidiary of Japan Airlines. (CCTV News)
Is ByteDance Going to Build a Hospital in Beijing? Insider: It's a New Campus of a Hospital Under the Amcare Group
Toutiao Group's plan to build a tertiary hospital in Beijing has become a trending topic. Relevant insiders said that the new hospital to be built this time is a new campus of Amcare-Airui Cancer Hospital under the Amcare Group, and it is not a new business. The insider believes that the statement "Toutiao Group will build a tertiary hospital in Beijing" is not appropriate because both Toutiao Group and Amcare are companies under ByteDance, and the two are in a parallel relationship. (Everyday Economic News)
Alipay: "Money being stolen remotely by a touch" is a staged setup, and some rumor spreaders have been punished
36Kr has learned that according to the Weibo of Alipay Security Center, recently, some self-media, in order to attract attention and traffic, have released staged fake videos and fabricated untrue content such as "Using Alipay to touch and the money is stolen remotely". Through the lawfully handled cases by the public security organs, some rumor spreaders have received the due punishment.
Sainsbury's, the second-largest supermarket chain in the UK, will lay off approximately 3,000 people
Sainsbury's, the second-largest supermarket chain in the UK, has announced that it will lay off approximately 3,000 people and close its remaining cafes. This move will involve the restructuring of head office positions and a 20% reduction in senior management positions. Overall, this round of layoffs will affect 2% of the grocer's 148,000 employees. (Jiemian News)
Tencent's major shareholder Prosus' CEO says it is considering expanding investment in the EU
It is reported that Fabricio Bloisi, the CEO of Tencent's major shareholder Prosus, said in an interview with the media at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, that Prosus plans to announce more deals in Europe and looks forward to "investing nearby". Prosus currently has nearly $20 billion in cash for investment. He also said that the company is looking for partners who can increase infrastructure investment and invest with them in "large and strong" enterprises in the European artificial intelligence field. (Jiemian News)
ChatGPT generates 260 tons of carbon dioxide per month, equivalent to the emissions of 260 international flights.
According to the latest research by website hosting service provider KnownHost, the AI chatbot ChatGPT attracts over 164 million users per month and generates as much as 260,930 kilograms (approximately 260 tons) of carbon dioxide (CO2). (Sina Finance)
Saudi Crown Prince and Trump Talk, Saying They Intend to Expand Saudi Arabia and US Investment and Trade Relations by $600 Billion
According to the Saudi Press Agency's report on January 23, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had a phone call with US President Donald Trump on January 22. During the call, the Crown Prince congratulated Trump and conveyed the congratulations of the Saudi King to Trump. In the call with Trump, Salman said that Saudi Arabia hopes to expand its investment and trade relations with the United States by $600 billion in the next four years. If there are more opportunities, this number is expected to increase. (Sina Finance)
The Forefront of AI
ByteDance Initiates Long-Term AGI Research Program, Code-named Seed Edge
36Kr has learned that on January 23, according to media reports, the ByteDance team of the Doubao large model has internally established a long-term AGI research team, code-named "Seed Edge", encouraging project members to explore longer-term, uncertain, and bold AGI research topics. Insiders close to ByteDance revealed that the goal of Seed Edge is to explore new methods of AGI. In the code name, Seed is the name of the Doubao large model team, and Edge represents the cutting-edge AGI exploration. Seed Edge encourages cross-modal and cross-team collaboration, provides a relaxed research environment for project members, and implements a longer-term assessment method to ensure the challenges of truly disruptive AGI topics.
Meitu Image Research Institute Proposes Natural Image Matting Technology and Gets Selected for AAAI 2025
36Kr has learned that recently, Meitu Image Research Institute (MT Lab) in collaboration with Beijing Jiaotong University has proposed an ultra-high-resolution matting method MEMatte (Memory Efficient Matting), which has been accepted by the top conference in the field of artificial intelligence, AAAI 2025. It is introduced that MEMatte provides a video memory-friendly natural image matting framework, which can significantly reduce the computational cost of the model and is used for fine matting of high-definition images in scenarios with limited video memory (such as commercial graphics cards and edge devices). In addition, the research team has also open-sourced the ultra-high-resolution natural image matting dataset UHR-395 (Ultra High Resolution dataset) for the training and evaluation of high-resolution models.
OpenAI to Release More Intelligent GPT o3 Model Next Month at the Earliest, and Will Launch the First Batch of AI Agent Tools in the First Quarter
It is reported that Kevin Weil, the Chief Product Officer of OpenAI, said that OpenAI expects to release a more intelligent GPT o3 model in February or March. In addition, the company will also launch its first batch of AI agent tools in the first quarter, enabling ChatGPT to perform practical operations on a computer. Weil gave an example to illustrate that ChatGPT can help his children fill out and submit a football registration form. Dario Amodei, the CEO of Anthropic, predicted in an interview on the 21st that an AI that surpasses human intelligence may emerge in two to three years. Weil hinted that this might even happen before 2027. (Jiemian News)
OpenAI Launches AI Agent Operator
The US startup OpenAI suddenly held a live streaming event on January 23rd, releasing the first AI agent tool Operator, which the market has been looking forward to for a long time. It can perform web-based operations on behalf of users. Sam Altman introduced that starting from January 24th, ChatGPT Pro users in the US (who pay $200 per month) will be able to use the "Research Preview Version" of Operator. In the future, it will be expanded to Pro users in more regions, and ChatGPT Plus users will also be able to use it in a few months. At the same time, more AI agents will be released in the coming weeks and months. (Cailian Press)
Baidu Intelligent Cloud Xiling Launches Spring Festival Feature: Generate New Year Greeting Videos with Just One Photo
36Kr learned that on January 23, on the eve of the Spring Festival of the Snake in 2025, Baidu Intelligent Cloud Xiling Digital Human launched the "Flying Invitation for a Joyful Spring Festival" WeChat mini-program feature, which is freely open to the public. It is understood that users only need to upload one of their own photos in the Xiling mini-program to quickly generate a digital human New Year greeting video. The digital human replicated based on the photo can also generate a smooth oral blessing content according to the input blessing text, providing users with a new way to send New Year greetings with AI during the Spring Festival.
The Blue Ocean of AI Toys Quietly Emerges, and Investment Opportunities in the Industrial Chain Stand Out
At the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in 2025, the innovative products of AI toys became a major highlight of the exhibition. At the same time, many A-share listed companies have recently made efforts in the field of AI toys, and the market performance of related concept stocks is active. Market insiders believe that AI toys are a relatively ideal landing scenario for AI applications in the short term. It is expected that by 2033, the global market size in this field will increase to 60 billion US dollars. (China Securities Journal)
Investment and Financing
Changchun Miaoxichu Catering Management Co., Ltd. Completes Series A Financing of 30 Million RMB
36Kr has learned that Miaoxichu, a national dumpling and casserole dish brand under Changchun Miaoxichu Catering Management Co., Ltd., has announced the completion of Series A financing, with a financing amount of 30 million RMB. This round of financing is led by Huizhou Zhongshijin Project Investment Co., Ltd. This fund will be mainly used to strengthen brand building, enhance brand awareness and reputation, further consolidate and expand market share, optimize supply chain management, and promote the sustainable and healthy development of the brand.
Guozhong Digital Research Group Co., Ltd. Secures Several Hundred Million RMB in Series B Financing
36Kr has learned that Guozhong Digital Research Group Co., Ltd. has completed its Series B financing, with a total financing amount of several hundred million RMB. This round of financing is led by Shenzhen Oriental Huayuan Investment (Group) Co., Ltd., with several investment institutions participating. This financing will provide strong financial support for Guozhong Digital's innovative development in the field of digital technology. It is reported that Guozhong Digital was established in 2020, with its headquarters located in Shenzhen, China. It is an enterprise dedicated to the research and development in the field of digital technology.
Central Ring Huifu (Chongqing) Technology Co., Ltd. Completes Series A Financing of 22 Million RMB
36Kr has learned that Central Ring Huifu (Chongqing) Technology Co., Ltd. announced that it has completed its Series A financing, with the financing amount reaching 22 million RMB. This round of financing is led by Dah Sing Financial Group Limited in Hong Kong, marking a solid step forward for Central Ring Huifu in the layout and development in the field of the digital economy.
"HeliumStream Technology" Completes Seed Round Financing
36Kr has learned that Shanghai HeliumStream Technology Co., Ltd. recently announced that the company has completed the seed round financing, with the financing amount reaching several million yuan, and the company's valuation is nearly 100 million yuan. This round of financing is led by Jiangxi Xinke Investment Co., Ltd., which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Zhongke Xinke (Beijing) Investment Holding Co., Ltd., and its board members include Miao Jinsheng, Duan Liping, Wu Shichun, etc. HeliumStream Technology is committed to being a platform company in the era of intelligent agents, creating an ultra-large-scale industry intelligent agent platform.
Icefox Interactive Entertainment Completes New Round of Financing of Several Million
36Kr learned that the mobile game channel operator Icefox Interactive Entertainment has completed a new round of financing of several million yuan in RMB. This round of financing is invested by a private capital consortium. It is understood that Icefox Interactive Entertainment owns the brand "Icefox Games" and the mobile game community Game Party.
Cool Products
Chery Jetour officially releases the luxury electric-hybrid off-road product series Jetour Zongheng
36Kr learned that on January 22, Chery Jetour officially released the new luxury electric-hybrid off-road product series Jetour Zongheng. Jetour Zongheng also brings a new product series, including three new vehicles: Zongheng G700, Zongheng F700, and Zongheng G900.
Samsung Electronics Launches Multiple Products Such as Galaxy S25 Ultra
36Kr learned that on January 23, Samsung Electronics officially announced the launch of Galaxy S25 Ultra, Galaxy S25+, and Galaxy S25 today. By equipping with a multimodal AI assistant, the Samsung Galaxy S25 series achieves a more natural and context-understanding interactive experience, creating a Galaxy AI companion for users.
Small Survey on Young People's "Discussing Marriage and Engagement"
As the New Year is approaching, the "model opera" of urging marriage is about to be staged again. Once young couples with a stable relationship start considering "getting married", they will then have to face a series of headache-inducing problems: What gifts should be given when meeting the parents for the first time? Is the betrothal gift/dowry necessary for marriage? Should the couple break up if any problems are detected in the pre-marital physical examination? Long press and scan the following QR code to participate in the 2025 small survey on young people's "discussing marriage and engagement", and let's talk about the matters of preparing for marriage.
Scan the code to participate in the survey
Compiled｜Wang Xinyi